Political Parties

A political party is an organized group of people, often with common views, who come together to contest elections and hold power in the government. The party agrees on some proposed policies and programs, with a view to promoting the collective good or furthering their supporters' interests.

"... the political parties in nineteenth century America were the vitally important means by which ideology could dominate the narrow clash of special interest groups and seekers after government subsidies and privilege. The disappearance of ideological parties, starting in 1896, brought about the weak and fuzzy party politics we are familiar with today."

Give Me Liberty, by Rose Wilder Lane, 1936
Originally published as an article titled "Credo" in the Saturday Evening Post; describes her experiences in and history of Soviet Russia and Europe, contrasting them with the history of the United States, emphasizing the individualist themes

"The issue at stake is the survival of American constitutional law, the American political structure. This is a real political issue, and the major political parties have not represented a real political issue since the 1860's. These parties have not stood for opposite political principles; they have differed only about methods. For example: one has stood for higher tariffs; the other, for lower tariffs. They have not presented to voters the real political issue between tariffs and free trade."

"Describing the Republicans and the Democrats as political parties is somewhat of a misnomer, since it implies that they harbor some sort of transcendent philosophy that guides them in their policies and programs. ... The Republicans and Democrats are actually more like carrion birds, like two vultures fighting over the eyeball of a dead wildebeest."

"... the truth is that the United States has not always been so dominated by two parties. ... Starting in the 1930s, however, minor parties stopped winning significant shares of votes for elections to Congress ... The decline in voting for minor parties has corresponded to the increasing power of the national government relative to the states."